tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post1576046234443875495..comments2024-02-12T17:59:33.534-06:00Comments on RAZORED ZEN: Style ChangesCharles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-13019289729163393492011-02-24T11:03:34.741-06:002011-02-24T11:03:34.741-06:00Travis Cody, because of my love for poetic prose, ...Travis Cody, because of my love for poetic prose, I think I pay more attention to style, myself and others , than many people do. I become very conscious of it.<br /><br />Harry, I agree it changes, although I think the pace of the change slows down. Partly it's a matter of having consummed much material. The more you've read the less any single piece is likely to move you.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-60135918104486131142011-02-21T09:58:35.468-06:002011-02-21T09:58:35.468-06:00Style changes constantly. Whenever you read someth...Style changes constantly. Whenever you read something new or think of a new way to work the words, the style goes through nuanced changes. As a general vibe, I have to agree that it is fixed, but if it's not moving a thing is dead. Only way ahead is through evolution.Harry Markovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09140305922494369576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-87879550394842544082011-02-20T12:27:06.231-06:002011-02-20T12:27:06.231-06:00I've never really considered what my style is ...I've never really considered what my style is as a writer. Is it bad, not to really be aware of a particular style in your own writing?<br /><br />I think I do fall into some of the pitfalls that inexperienced writers do...like passive voice and mixing perspectives, and losing track of tense. But I don't think of those in terms of my style, because they are often just mistakes that can be corrected during re-writes and editing.<br /><br />I'll have to give this style thing some thought.Travis Codyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06192526507760146748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-43608719764565838762011-02-19T10:01:47.664-06:002011-02-19T10:01:47.664-06:00Mary Witzl, that's certainly true. My writing...Mary Witzl, that's certainly true. My writing is generally much more clean now than it used to be.<br /><br />Rick, that's true. Maybe like the guy doing the little blue dog images in his paintings.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-20790815945888857982011-02-19T09:28:44.062-06:002011-02-19T09:28:44.062-06:00Style changes? Yep. We change, so our writing sh...Style changes? Yep. We change, so our writing should, too. Predictable is bad in the creative arts. Unless we get paid a lot! :)Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14546882686381428986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-80023538980293104272011-02-19T05:09:44.703-06:002011-02-19T05:09:44.703-06:00Yes, my style has changed, and thank GOD! I go b...Yes, my style has changed, and thank GOD! I go back whenever I can bear it and read stuff I wrote years ago. It's almost always over-written, full of itself, cloyingly didactic and pretentious. Once in a while, I'll find a gem of a sentence that's got a great metaphor or similie. <br /><br />I've learned so much -- that's the one good thing about keeping old stuff; you see where you've been and how far you've gone. And in my case, that's quite a distance.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-42314265190992576982011-02-18T13:49:51.786-06:002011-02-18T13:49:51.786-06:00laughingwolf, aye, tis true
patti, I only use ex...laughingwolf, aye, tis true<br /><br /> patti, I only use exclamation points in dialogue. and yes, seldom use full sentences in dialogue. I still like adjectives though.<br /><br />Jodi MacArthur, The weird thing is how I can actually see 'trends' in my work, say more italics at one point and less at another point. It's kind of interesting.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-63857184889939995452011-02-18T12:11:27.486-06:002011-02-18T12:11:27.486-06:00This post tickles me. That your style & techni...This post tickles me. That your style & technique is an ever evolving changing thing is exciting, because it means you are growing as a story teller, if you were to tell the stories in the same way with the same styles how boring would that be? I'll have to get these series when you re-release. It's been awhile since I've immersed myself into a good fantasy world. I think Sarah Ash was the last series, and I loved her work.Jodi MacArthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373591664178281529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-68603144123372917572011-02-18T11:27:12.058-06:002011-02-18T11:27:12.058-06:00Yes, I am far less likely to write dialog in compl...Yes, I am far less likely to write dialog in complete sentences since I read a piece by Al Guthrie calling attention to how rarely people do that. I also use far less adverbs and adjectives than I used to. I almost never use anything but "said" now and not even that if I can avoid it. I never use exclamation points. Back then, I did all of these things.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-33751050669435761852011-02-18T11:22:51.652-06:002011-02-18T11:22:51.652-06:00thx charles, appreciate that :)thx charles, appreciate that :)laughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-57272243906681356182011-02-18T07:59:24.177-06:002011-02-18T07:59:24.177-06:00Tyhitia Green, I have one of those trunk novels to...Tyhitia Green, I have one of those trunk novels too and I can see flashes of my current style in it but also lots of stuff that just doesn't work well. <br /><br />Ty Johnston, I like the italics because it really lets you get the reader to emphasize just what you want to emphasize, but I do think I do it too much at times and it gets in the way instead.<br /><br />Mark, Editors are good for that kind of thing. :)<br /><br /> Angie, I notice a big difference between my fiction and nonfiction style, although I think most of my fiction at least has similarities, even if they are in different genres. We writers may be too close to our own work to really see it clearly, though.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-25041757774489528942011-02-18T07:23:17.404-06:002011-02-18T07:23:17.404-06:00The "Doh" has come from the fact that in...<i>The "Doh" has come from the fact that in both Wings Over Talera and Witch of Talera I sometimes misspelled my own invented words.</i><br /><br />Eek! That makes me want to just crawl under my keyboard and hide when I do it. :/ It's definitely good to have a chance to fix that stuff.<br /><br />My style shifts depending on what I'm doing. A scary paranormal will sound a bit different from a humorous contemporary, for instance, or even a humorous paranormal. Sometimes a particular story or character will just demand a different style, and I try to play along as well as I can. :)<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-12952622583209074852011-02-18T06:30:25.339-06:002011-02-18T06:30:25.339-06:00Dunno if my style has changed or not. I don't ...Dunno if my style has changed or not. I don't pay attention to it much. I just know that when I want to put a piece in print some of it gets edited and some not because I don't see any flaw. I just write. *shrug*<br /><br />Now when I give Porch Smoking to Michelle (cover artist for STINK) I am sure she will see many many, many, many, punctuation and, grammar flaws. hahahahaha Keeps her busy between classes.the walking manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10058913927297370740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-44150132755234621212011-02-18T00:18:17.426-06:002011-02-18T00:18:17.426-06:00I recently went through and did some minor tweakin...I recently went through and did some minor tweaking to some of my e-books, nothing major, but I had more than one of those "Doh!" moments. I use more italics now than I did when I wrote my first trilogy five years or so ago. And I'd like to think my writing has improved over all.Tyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09192814826756623212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-73281306206285611842011-02-18T00:07:59.182-06:002011-02-18T00:07:59.182-06:00Even though I only have one flash piece published,...Even though I only have one flash piece published, I have a couple trunk novels--and my style has changed. I was told by my friend who is an author that the first novel I publish won't be anything like my latter novels. I've really notice the change--and it's for the better. LOL. :-DTyhitia Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14070000168178880911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-64478359268452896422011-02-17T23:15:31.109-06:002011-02-17T23:15:31.109-06:00Cloudia, it definitely is.Cloudia, it definitely is.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-59501822432365110652011-02-17T20:48:45.547-06:002011-02-17T20:48:45.547-06:00Interesting looking back on our own work. . .Interesting looking back on our own work. . .Cloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-35695597486474842362011-02-17T19:44:27.726-06:002011-02-17T19:44:27.726-06:00Lana Gramlich, I think if we get to the point wher...Lana Gramlich, I think if we get to the point where we think our older stuff is better than our newer stuff then maybe we should quit.<br /><br />laughingwolf, I would say your writing, which you share with manic mondays, is improving for sure.<br /><br />Steve Malley, I sometimes wonder about whether changes I notice now are attitudinal changes rather than some particular progression in writing level or skill. Interesting to consider.<br /><br />G, I've gotten considerably better at having patience, of letting a story develop. I used to do the same thing as you, blitz through the story and make it fit what I started out for. Now I'm gonna let things grow more organically.<br /><br /> Merisi, I don't know that name but will have to check it out. Sounds interesting.<br /><br /> X. Dell, lol. Now that's an intersting take on it. I'll keep that in mind when I start looking back at my old stuff with nostalgia.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-30040321917064482632011-02-17T18:23:59.331-06:002011-02-17T18:23:59.331-06:00Never fails, does it. You read and re-read someth...Never fails, does it. You read and re-read something you've written. You pick it back up years later, and see all of the things you wouldn't do now. <br /><br />I don't know who said it, or who this was about, but I recall a story about an author complaining to his agent that his recent output wasn't up to his past level. He asked the agent over the phone, "Am I really getting that bad?"<br /><br />The agent replied, "You're actually getting better. The problem is your tastes are improving."X. Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561609651507566271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-46022402513745690132011-02-17T16:29:08.258-06:002011-02-17T16:29:08.258-06:00I love reading what you write.
Regarding your que...I love reading what you write.<br /><br />Regarding your question about changes in style of writers I know, only one comes to mind, the German writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Schmidt" rel="nofollow">Arno Schmidt</a>, but he is in a league of his own. Several of his books have been translated into English by John Woods (last I heard he is working on Schmidt's magnum opus, which would be an even greater accomplishment than the congenial translation of "Evening edged in Gold"). I could imagine that you'd find "Nobodaddy's Children" interesting, especially "Black Mirrors".Merisihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16781937797213521146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-76414200731542273522011-02-17T16:23:51.708-06:002011-02-17T16:23:51.708-06:00I don't know if I noticed any kind of subtle c...I don't know if I noticed any kind of subtle changes to my writing style over the years. <br /><br />Sledgehammer changes, absolutely.<br /><br />I did develope a couple of distinct styles (I hope), one for blogging and one for writing.<br /><br />About the only thing I've really noticed with my writing now compared to what I wrote even a couple of years ago is that I've made a visible effort in not being so verbose when it comes to writing scenes.<br /><br />Overall though, I have noticed that I'm a lot more patient with my writing. Previously I had a tendency to blitz on through stuff to the point where it made absolutely no sense, but now, I've been forcing myself to think things through, especially when I'm doing stuff that I'd never done before (like world building).G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-36773282317713834762011-02-17T15:55:37.266-06:002011-02-17T15:55:37.266-06:00I'm still in the middle of a deep and savage r...I'm still in the middle of a deep and savage rewrite on my first novel, Blood and Skin. To say my style's changed since then is an understatement. Talk about derivative! <br /><br />Even Poison Door, the first one I wrote where I started to hear my own voice- formatting it for Kindle and print, I couldn't help but look back at those long paragraphs of description or exposition and sigh...<br /><br />Change is natural. :-)Steve Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561234111786788616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-23501166493612840982011-02-17T14:07:46.560-06:002011-02-17T14:07:46.560-06:00plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose...
the m...plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose...<br /><br />the more things change, the more they remain the same...<br /><br />i like to think i change, here and there... for the better... but not sure, cuz i have no novels to comparelaughingwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08873675614347328116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-31293706011700615572011-02-17T13:56:43.248-06:002011-02-17T13:56:43.248-06:00Looking back at my older works sometimes makes me ...Looking back at <i>my</i> older works sometimes makes me wince almost visibly. That's probably a good thing, however. It means I'm progressing. Yeah, yeah...<i>that's</i> the ticket!Lana Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06975996208260144558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-76592644529448046622011-02-17T13:46:11.129-06:002011-02-17T13:46:11.129-06:00Deka, I seem to be into using more ellipses these ...Deka, I seem to be into using more ellipses these days. I have to keep an eye on that.<br /><br />Etain, I noticed that I like Ray Bradbury's early writing much better than his later writing. He has changed.<br /><br />Bernardl, It seems to be fairly little things for me, or even an "emphasis" of something stylistic that I used before.<br /><br />Golden Eagle, it is nice to see that kind of improvement.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com